The Broken Song
by ladymoonscar
Summary: Loki must atone for his crimes. He is thrown into the Eternity Pit; a grey and lonely place. His only companion is a strange girl who is as grey and lonely as the Pit. Is Loki doomed to lonliness, too? Or will they escape together? Loki/OC
1. Prologue

_I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing_  
_with a broken heart that's still beating_

**'Broken'** by Lifehouse

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PROLOGUE-

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The place was grey.

That was all that could be said of it; grey. It was dull, misty and misery. Rocks and mountains turned it into a bowl. Dark vines swayed in a small breeze. There was no sky. Nothing but grey mist. There was no color. No sound.

Empty. An imperfection that had only one use.

Imprisonment.

But nothing had been imprisoned there for long years. Nothing except the girl.

She stood on a rock, staring at nothing. The top of the rock was flat and smooth. The girl blinked slowly, her pale eyes staring out of pale skin. Her clothes were grey and black, nothing more but rags. Her feet were bare and therefore dirty from the grey dirt and sand.

Nothing moved.

Nothing was heard.

Nothing was said.

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**A/N: yes, very short, but chapter 1 should be long**

**and do you want the girl to have a personality or should she be a 'blank slate'? cuz i can do whichever**


	2. The Eternity Pit

**A/N: wow it's been forever since i've updated this! it's actually been a while since i've worked on this...**

**enjoy chapter1!**

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_You cry for the moon_  
_But the love closed at noon_  
_You were out of tune_  
_Too light too much too soon_

**'Battle** **Song'** by Cry for the Moon

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CHAPTER ONE-

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The crowd roared and hissed, calling out insults and demanding blood. A few even threw rocks, but they always fell short of the object of their hostility.

Thor kept a tight grip on Loki's upper arm, his expression hard yet sorrowful. He hated that he was the one dragging his brother to his trial. He hated that the Aesir were practically screaming for Loki's blood. He hated all that had led to this moment.

Most of all, Thor hated what Loki had become.

For his own part, Loki was calm as the God of Thunder led him to Odin's throne. The Trickster wasn't above fear- he was actually petrified- but there was no way he would show fear. Loki wouldn't give any of these pathetic beings any satisfaction. Or give Thor a reason to pity him.

Queen Frigga glanced at Odin as the shouts drew nearer. "Dear, I beg you to show mercy."

Odin heaved a great sigh. "I cannot give him mercy. Not after what he has done."

Frigga pulled her distress inside her, giving the impression that she was as cold and indifferent as an icicle. Yet her heart sobbed for her dear adopted son. If only she had told him the truth of his parentage! If only she had shown Loki more love! If only…

The crowd roared as Thor brought a shackled and muzzled Loki forward. The prince showed the bruises and cuts of a well fought battle. His blonde hair was slightly matted and his small beard the image of a sparrows' nest. Mjolnir, the hammer, hung from his belt, seeming to be resting.

Loki scowled behind the muzzle as jeers continued to bombard his ears. His nose hurt! The cut across the bridge of his nose throbbed and his left cheekbone screamed as the muzzle chaffed against it. He gritted his teeth and forced back the tears. _No weakness_, he told himself calmly. _No weakness_…

Odin stood from his throne and all went silent.

Thor knelt before his father. Loki did not.

Odin narrowed his one eye, but let the defiance pass. "Loki." The name was full of emotions; anger, sorrow, pity… The need to be forgiven. "Your crimes are numerous and your actions cruel. You have conspired against your king and your people. You have brought ruin upon Jotunhiem, opened the Nine Realms to war. You have used the power of the Tesseract. You tried to enslave Midgard."

Loki just glared.

Odin saw no remorse in his eyes and what mercy he had been contemplating was dashed from his mind. He straightened up to his full height, looking terrible and powerful.

A flash of fear flitted over Loki's face before he controlled it again.

"I, Odin Allfather, hereby banish you…"

There was an intake of breath. Loki gulped. Banishment? To where? Midgard; a thousand possibilities drifted thru his mind if there. Jotunhiem; he was as good as dead. Alfhiem would be so bad.

"…to the Eternity Pit."

All the breath left Loki in a gasp he couldn't hold back. The sound was lost in the roars of approval from the crowd. Loki would have hated himself for the slip up had he not been so scared. Of all the punishments available, Odin had to pick the Eternity Pit; the one place where all sorrow and misery was bred.

Frigga wasn't ashamed if her shock at her husbands' words showed on her face. The Eternity Pit? Oh, what cruelness was this?! Loki to be sentenced to that grey and lifeless place! Oh, it was almost too much for her mothers' heart to bear!

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Loki was glad that the muzzle had been removed- he didn't think his jaw could've stood it much longer- but his hands were still restrained, this time behind his back. He was still dressed in his black, gold and green leather outfit, still covered in dust and blood and… Was that part of a Chitauri? Disgusting. This was his favorite shoulder guard.

There was movement to his right and Loki looked up to see Odin, Frigga and Thor walk into the circular silver room he stood in. Loki put on his best sardonic smile. "So the family is back together again."

Tears shone in Frigga's eyes. "Loki, we were always your family. We have always loved you."

Loki softened for a fraction of a second, then turned hate-filled eyes onto Odin. "The Eternity Pit. Sounds frightening." He said this sarcastically, but he was scared.

Odin remained impassive. "It will be your home until you have redeemed yourself and seen the errors of your ways."

Loki smirked and looked around the room. "So far, I'm not that impressed."

"This is not the Eternity Pit," Odin said calmly.

Loki suddenly noticed that, while he was in the center of the room, the rest of them remained closer to the wall. He looked down and realized that the intricate ridges on the floor were really…

Loki looked up. "Oh, no."

The floor opened and Loki fell into a very deep, very dark hole.

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It was like a demented slide. One made of dirt and murky clouds and roots that smacked Loki in the face. Oh, the unfairness of it all! He was sore as it was and now he had to endure this fresh shipment of Hell. For the love of Yggdrasil, would this just…

"…STOP!" Loki yelled in frustration.

He was suddenly airborne…then falling…then hitting the ground…the skidding… Ah, he stopped. Loki lay face down in grey dirt, unwilling to even breathe; he hurt too much. He allowed himself a small moan that continued for a long while. Oh, the agony! Finally, Loki raised his head and looked around.

He was on the banks of a silver lake. It would have been a picture, had it not blended with everything else. Grey here, grey there. Grey rocks, black foliage, grey water, grey dirt… The predominant color was grey. Everything was a dull, lifeless color of…

"Grey," Loki wheezed, sitting up and clutching at his throbbing sides. Oh, something was probably broken now. "Grey is the color of eternity? That's rather depressing."

He gritted his teeth and pulled himself to the water's edge. He curled his lip in disgust; his reflection had been sucked of color, too. His armor, while dull from not cleaning it, seemed very much out of place in the dreary world.

"I am not going to like it here," Loki decided as he plunged his hands into the water, breaking his reflection and disrupting the water. Ripples broke out across the lakes' surface. Loki watched them travel to a rock with an incredibly flat and smooth top.

Behind the rock were several black vines. And there was something behind the vines…watching the Trickster.

Loki narrowed his eyes. "Who is there? Show yourself!" His voice snapped like a whip in the still air. Strange; not a sound could be heard, just the echo of his command. Not a bird or a waterfall. Not even a breeze. Feeling very uneasy, Loki stood up, wincing slightly as his ribs protested quite loudly. "I said show yourself to me," he shouted again.

Slowly, a small pale hand poked out from between the vines and parted them slightly. An eye, as pale as moonlight, stared from above a sharp cheekbone. "Are you here to kill me?" The voice was hoarse and pitched barely above a whisper, but it was most assuredly feminine.

Loki took a step forward and the vines snapped back into place as the hand darted back. He stopped, holding his hands up in a show that he meant no harm. At least, not unless he needed to. "Who are you?" he asked in a calmer voice.

"Are you here to kill me?" It was as if he had not spoken.

Loki sighed. "No. I am not here to kill you."

There was a moment's pause, then the vines parted once more. This time, the head of a girl was revealed. Loki knew that had not seen such a pitiful creature and he also knew that he would never see another again for as long as he lived. Or, until he was reduced to a drooling heap on the ground.

The girl had chalk white skin that seemed to be nothing but paper over her bones. Her eyebrows were non-existent over her large pale eyes. Her hair was a tangled and matted mess the color of white corn silk. Her nose was small and pixie-like. But it was her lips that captured Loki's attention, not because they were beautifully sculpted and full, but because they were crimson. Her lips held color, possibly the only color in this whole forsaken place.

"Who are you?" Loki heard himself ask again, this time in awe.

The girl blinked slowly at him, but didn't answer.

Loki tried again. "What is your name?"

She just stared at him with those dead looking eyes. Emotionless.

Now Loki was starting get annoyed. Louder, he said, "What is your name?!"

The girl continued to stare at him.

_Very well_, Loki thought, _let's try a different approach_. Out loud he said, "I am Loki. My name is Loki. What is your name?"

The girl crawled out from the vines and stood up. She was dressed in a washed-out dark grey shift that barely went to her knees and elbows. Even with the ill-fitting garment, it was plain to see that she was skinny; unhealthily so. Her legs were like toothpicks, as were her arms. And she still said nothing!

Loki had lost all patience and lashed out, grabbing one of the girl's bony wrists. "Listen here, you pathetic…" He stopped, acutely aware of how delicate the girl's bones were in his hand. If he were to even flex, he would crush her wrist. And he was sure the girl knew it, too, but not a trace of fear or apprehension could be found on her face. She was just…blank.

Loki released her, asking, "How long have you been here?"

The girl blinked again, stared for a moment, then turned and walked away.

Had it been any other circumstance, Loki would have stopped her and demanded answers. But there was something about the girl that frightened Loki. Ugh, it actually hurt to admit that, but it was true; this girl gave Loki a real reason to be frightened.

And, as he watched her retreat from him, Loki suddenly realized that this girl was his only future. The God of Mischief would become as colorless as the Pit itself.

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**A/N: dun, dun, dun!**

**ok, i need a good name for the girl. something that loki would call her. i call upon you all to help!**

**also, does anyone to photo manips? cuz i would like a few of those for cover arts. or something really awsome to inspire my Muse. he's on holiday at the moment. yes, my Muse is a dude**


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